Red Valentine

feeling so full of love..... and well, so full!

for the fifth sunday supper we celebrated saint valentines day with a red-themed dinner. and no better day than on valentines for a sunday supper, because these nights are truly all about love. love for cooking and food, and for each other.



i spent the afternoon poaching pears and mulling red wine (manischewitz to be exact, leftover from the joy to the jews supper in december. put to good use, at long last!!) i also made a sun-dried tomato spread, a recipe - as with the pears - that came from my loving mama.

friends began to arrive and love was most definitely in the air!




as we got ready to dine everyone was in utter amazement and surprise, seeing what jaime and matt put their culinary skills to create! two dishes that rival what we think food is or can be.




MENU

appetizers

rachel: sun-dried tomato tapenade
serena: ricotta and tomato tartlets
jaime & matt: red pepper macadamia nut-cheese
jocelyn: cayenne cashews
emilie: chorizo


entrees

eve & greg: braised red cabbage
kate & jason: beet & goat cheese salad
jaime & matt: broken artichoke hearts in beet ravioli
joceyln & kelly: endives stuffed with cranberry & red cabbage slaw
romy & jesse: red beans with rice, andouille sausage
jason, yoshi & rob: blood sausage
andy: red hot wings







as the dinner carried on, so did the love-fest!





just when cessie was about to call it a night, was time for a sweet treat!


dessert menu

rachel: poached pears & mulled red wine
erika: red velvet cake
jaime & matt: raw fudge with strawberries
becca & ryan: cranberry cookies














all that sugar might have gotten us a little crazy, but one thing's for sure, that this was one of the loveliest evenings i've spent in a long time!

a big thank you to everyone, to yoshi, jason, rob, becca, ryan, kelly, emilie, eve, greg, thomas, anna & karen for the many beverages, and a special thank you to lydia - whose soup sadly may not have made it all the way here but thankfully she did! reunited after, umm about 20 yrs! and it did indeed feel so good. as did having the company of all who came.

love. love. love.

RB's Kitchen

For the 4th Sunday Supper we got in touch with the South for a SOUL FOOD themed evening. About a month ago I was working to help to save The Pink Tea Cup from closing, a 55 yr old soul food restaurant around the corner from my apartment. Through the hard work of many it will live on, and I was inspired by the passion and dedication of everyone I met there. And the food of course! Many found this theme to be a challenge, but in the end the hits just kept on coming, and truly this was one of the most incredible feasts I have ever experienced!!

THE MENU

Becca & Ryan: Biscuits

Jana & Levi: cornbread, garlicky collard greens
Ben: Pulled pork, pickles, wonder bread
Nick: Pork Belly
Stephanie: Jerk chicken
Me: Chicken liver & onions
Jaime & Matt: Black eyed pea fritters, creole tempeh
Josh & Candice: Maple baked beans
Miles: Jerk tofu
Allison: Mac n Cheese
Romy & Jesse: Cheese grits
Julia: Spicy green beans
Melinda: Succotash
Laura: Potato Salad

Allison & Diego: baked mashed sweet potatoes
Arin & Steve: Chocolate chip walnut cookie
Eve & Greg: Banana Pudding
Cali: Hard cider, beer
James & Heather: wine
Laura & Jason: beer

Also in attendance was a very special guest - Captain Blankenship!


My nautically dressed friend came across the country with her amazing all-natural and organic perfumes, soaps, bath salts and balms. These delicious handcrafted goods are made in small batches in her kitchen in Berkeley California, so it was a real treat for those of us here in NYC to sample and acquire them!!

I am continually blown away by the way these evenings. The look on Laura and Nick's faces above says it all. These "suppers" are about so much more than just the food itself. The dishes are exceptional, and I strongly believe that's because so much thought, consideration and love has gone into them. And because they are created with the intention of being shared. Food is powerful in this way, for it's remarkable ability to bring people together, and sometimes in the most unexpected of ways. Some people come to these suppers who I have never met, some come knowing no one else but me - but at the end of the night we have all made new friends, or bonded with ones we haven't seen in years, and all look forward to coming together again to share in each others lives.

A soulful and soul fulfilling night in countless ways.